10 Facts About Edwin Vedejs

Edwin Vedejs was a Latvian-American professor of chemistry.

Edwin Vedejs rose through the ranks during his 32 years at Wisconsin being named Helfaer Professor and Robert M Bock Professor.

Edwin Vedejs was elected a fellow of the American Chemical Society in 2011.

Edwin "Ed" Vedejs was born in Riga, Latvia to Velta and Nikolajs Vedejs.

Edwin Vedejs attended Grand Rapids Junior College for a few years before transferring to the University of Michigan where he received a BS degree in 1962.

Edwin Vedejs moved to the University of Wisconsin and joined the group of Professor Hans Muxfeldt for his Ph.

Edwin Vedejs's group targeted the synthesis of several natural products, such as retronecine, mitomycin, and cytochalasin, but the completion of a total synthesis was always secondary to the main goal of exploring new methodologies.

Edwin Vedejs tackled a wide range of methodologies aimed at stereoselective synthesis including protonation of carbanions, acylation and alkylation of achiral and prochiral nucleophiles, parallel kinetic resolution, and control of configuration by crystallization-induced asymmetric transformation.

Edwin Vedejs served as an associate editor of the Journal of the American Chemical Society from 1994 to 1999, as chair of the NIH Medicinal Chemistry Study Section from 1990 to 1991, as chair of the Organic Division of the American Chemical Society in 2003, and as a member of the Organic Syntheses Board of Editors from 1980 to 1988.

Edwin Vedejs served as editor of the three volume series Lewis Base Catalysis in Organic Synthesis.